To be able to dance was as important in these early days as it was all through the ages and will be in future years.

The real place to learn was Strasburg's Dancing Academy where the best people, both young and old, were taught not only dancing but the little polite things that went with it. Mrs. Strasburg was a high class teacher. Dancing was taught the same way in all dancing schools - one, two and three and after learning this you danced with girls who could dance. If you coordination was all right you became a dancer how good always depended on your emotions and muscles.

Clark's was another dancing school and a good one. I'll always remember it as a friend of mine had taken his lessons there and on the third lesson he was asked to dance with another pupil who was built like a wrestler and acted like one. She proceeded to do all the leading and eventually backed him into a pot-bellied stove, used to heat the school, knocking down the stove pipe and creating quite a disturbance. He never got over it, it left a mental block as far as dancing was concerned, and he is still a lousy dancer today.

There were schools all around town charging about a dollar a lesson. You didn't have to be a good dancer to start on - all you needed was a room, a piano player (or phonograph in later years) five or six girls who could dance and were willing to dance with beginners - and you were in business.

Another way to learn to dance was to go to the smaller dance halls, maybe a less cultured place, and make friends with one of the girls, be a good scout and treat her right and she would make a dancer out of you in no time. Dancing has been an emotional outlet starting from many reasons - mostly happy and exciting thoughts.

I always enjoyed dancing and considered myself a good dancer and it helped me meet a lot of healthy good looking girls. Often, in later years, I have sat in a cafe with business friends who were attracted by some good looker at another table and I was the guy who walked over and asked for a dance and then saw that the other fellows got the telephone numbers. The Y.M.O. dances were wonderful affairs mostly held at the Wayne Casino with good music and they were a must to real guys and gals of that period.

All the clubs had dances such as the Oddfellows, Harmony, Scarab Club and lots of the social clubs. Often a couple of girl and their boy friends would rent a small hall and give a private dance for their friends and even make a few bucks on it.

Later we had the 10 cent a dance halls - The Pier, Arcadia and the Greystone. These were all well-run places, had no drunks, well regulated and they were the places you found good dancers and good lookers and good musicians, in fact some of the best in this country - many of them were eventually leaders of their own dance orchestras and nationally known musicians.

Detroit had some wonderful small orchestras for small dances and parties - they were reasonable in price and seemed to have a good time themselves.

In later years, there were dance halls for the older folks who still liked to dance the old dances. They were wonderful places for a good time and the crowd seemed to know each other and it was quite a sight to see them dancing the square dances and they were all good dancers. These dances made life worth living as many of these people were from other parts of the country, brought here by the automobile business, and needed this kind of healthy relaxation. These dancing places are still going strong and it's worth while going down once in a while and enjoying a journey back into a calmer and maybe a saner period.

The younger folks of this day are constantly changing their dances - often practically dancing alone like the colored folks and Indians did and let their emotions dictate their stapes. Older folks should not laugh or get sore at these dancers, or run them down, as they are closer to this emotional age and feel they should get away from the one, two and three period - that seems too mechanical to them.

The modern dancing school, with its dancing club, is quite an affair today. The teachers, both male and female, are good looking, well paid, good mannered and well advertised but it is not for the younger people. They are mainly for the older women who want to dance with a young good looking man and have the jack and are willing to spend it. I have known of women, and men, who have spent thousands of dollars to be life time members of these dancing schools - I really believe they got their money's worth. Few elderly man fall for it as the old muscles won't take it any more.

With dancing as a background, the night clubs came into the picture with entertainment, liquor and good food added. Then came photographers who would make a photo of you, artists with a tam (?) who would sketch you, prizes for good dancers and even small raffles - so you can see that dancing is a very fundamental emotional outlet can almost be lost in the scuffle.

People liked these night clubs and enjoyed them. They seemed to enjoy dancing after a few drinks, the comedian's jokes seemed to be funnier - in fact liquor builds up a false emotional outlet. One thing is sure - you have to have real money to go to these places and most common people, like artists, don't get a hold of two much dough and have to enjoy more simple down to earth dancing.

I remember the first night club in Detroit, at the Cadillac Hotel, run by Fred Postal. Charles Voelker and I asked him to let us see the place on opening night. He told us it was strictly for men with their ladies but he knew us so he let us sit in one corner to get a look at the new club. After sitting in the corner for a while we saw an elderly gentleman come in with two very chic females. After being seated he bought a few drinks, but ignored the dance floor which seemed to be a wasted of good music to me. I smiled at one of the damsels and went over and asked the elderly gentleman if it would be all right to dance with one of his lady friends if she so desired. I had a very enjoyable dance, but Mr. Postal was on guard and saw it and we were on Michigan Avenue in a few minutes.

The night club idea took over and they started all over the city and have been part of Detroit life ever since.

I class dancing with singing, playing a musical instrument, writing poetry or painting water colors as they are as natural as eating or sleeping and I think a person who dislikes it for any reason ought to have his head examined. It's misused and abused but so is everything in this wonderful world - so let's get up and have a few twirls and live.